Mets counting on catching duo of d’Arnaud, Plawecki NBA ROUNDUP
Port St. Lucie, Fla. — The way the New York Mets look at it, they have two catchers good enough to start in the majors. Some might say they have none. While the Mets focused on filling other holes this offseason, one thorny area where they didn't make a big move to mask their warts was behind the plate. They're still counting on once-touted prospects Travis d'Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki — or at least one of them — to solidify the position.
“We like the potential of both players. We think the way they grade out against the rest of the league is at least a little above average, and looking at the alternatives available to us, we felt these two guys were our best option,” general manager Sandy Alderson explained Monday, two days before New York's first formal workout at spring training.
For this pitching-centric team trying to rebound from a 2017 flop, it's a leap of faith with the in-house guys.
Time for them to catch on — for good.
“Both of us are very confident,” d'Arnaud said.
The incumbent starter, d'Arnaud was selected 37th overall by Philadelphia in the 2007 amateur draft. He did well enough in the minors to win a Double-A MVP award and get included in trades for Cy Young Award winners Roy Halladay and R.A. Dickey.
Despite a reputation for being injury-prone, d'Arnaud was productive when healthy with the Mets from 2014-15. He even hit three home runs in the 2015 NL playoffs before New York lost the World Series to Kansas City. But he slumped so badly the following year, plunging to four homers and 15 RBIs with a paltry .629 OPS in 75 games, he lost playing time to defensive standout Rene Rivera.
He rebounded last season with career highs of 16 home runs and 57 RBIs in 348 at-bats as the Mets finished 70-92 after fading from contention early. But his on-base percentage was only .293, leaving him with a lessthan-stellar mark of .306 in just 393 games over five big league seasons.
“Be more selective. Swing at better pitches,” said d'Arnaud, who turned 29 on Saturday. “I think my chase rate went up a little higher than it should have been.”
And while d'Arnaud has shown a deft touch framing pitches, his throwing arm and game-calling are considered suspect. So he needs to hit to stay on the field.
Plawecki, who turns 27 this month, also was rated a top prospect in the minors after the Big Ten Player of the Year was drafted 35th overall by the Mets in 2012 out of Purdue. He got his first chance to spell an injured d'Arnaud with New York early in the 2015 season, batting only .219 with a .576 OPS in 73 games.
He's bounced back and forth from Triple-A Las Vegas since, losing his job as the backup catcher to Rivera in 2016. But after getting recalled late last season, Plawecki, who has a good eye at the plate, made noticeable strides and finished with a respectable .764 OPS in 37 games.
He lacks a strong arm, but seems adept at handling pitchers.
“I think it takes some time to get used to playing in New York,” Plawecki said. “When I first came up I was young and kind of naïve in a sense, didn't know what to expect and things sped up on me a little bit and there was that mental grind I hadn't been used to before. Having that mentality up and down over the last couple of years has allowed me to take a step back and just focus on what's important and not really get caught up in things in New York that could get you in trouble. That's what I kind of let happen early on.”
Plawecki and d'Arnaud shared playing time down the stretch last season, which might have helped both players remain fresh at the most demanding position on the diamond.
This offseason, they spent nearly two weeks together in Arizona working on receiving and throwing with Mets catching instructor Glenn Sherlock.
“We have a great relationship together, not only on the field but off the field. We're great friends,” Plawecki said. “I think it's important for both of us to support each other and that's what we've done from Day One. The situation is what it is. We just want to win games. It doesn't matter how we do it. No matter who's back there, we're supporting each other, pulling the same end of the rope. That's how we're going to be able to win a championship, honestly. That's the way we look at it.”
Rivera is gone but switch-hitter Jose Lobaton, a veteran backup also known for defense, was invited to camp on a minor league contract after spending the past four years with Washington.
Alderson said new manager Mickey Callaway and his coaching staff will determine the catching roles this year, but Plawecki has an opportunity to earn a larger one.
“I want to get to the World Series. I still have a big bitter taste in my mouth from losing in 2015,” d'Arnaud said. “If they feel like we've got to platoon to get back there, I am all in.”
76ers 108, Knicks 92
T.J. McConnell doesn’t have the star power of Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons, but it was the undrafted reserve guard who received the loudest cheers while helping the streaking 76ers to another win. McConnell had a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Dario Saric scored 24 points to pace all five starters in double figures, and Philadelphia won its fourth in a row, over slumping New York on Monday night. The first-time All-Star Embiid scored 17 points and Simmons, a top Rookie of the Year candidate, chipped in 13, but it was McConnell’s night. “I just think it’s the thing that endears him to all of us,” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown said. “You really respect him. He just plays so hard. He’s a wonderful lesson for so many basketball players for what perseverance and toughness can bring you to.” McConnell said Embiid was egging him toward the triple-double, and the fans and 76ers bench reacted with crazed enthusiasm when he grabbed his 10th rebound with 1:05 remaining. “Joel just wouldn’t let it go,” McConnell said. “It was priceless. It speaks volumes about what kinds of guys we have. It was an awesome moment.” J.J. Redick had 18 points and Robert Covington chipped in 13 for the 76ers, who won their 10th straight at home to remain in playoff position in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia, which never trailed, sits eighth in the Eastern Conference and moved three games ahead of ninth-place Detroit. Michael Beasley scored 22 points to lead the Knicks, who lost their seventh straight. The Knicks were playing their third game without All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, who suffered a torn left ACL last Tuesday against Milwaukee. “It’s going to be tough without K.P.,” Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We have to be tougher, scrap harder.” Courtney Lee had 18 points in his first game coming off the bench this season for the Knicks. Lee had started all 57 games this season, but Hornacek elected to go with 6-foot-8 Lance Thomas for defensive purposes to guard Simmons. Emmanuel Mudiay had seven points in 19 minutes in his second game with the Knicks after being acquired from Denver. He debuted with 14 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday’s 121-113 loss at the Pacers. The Knicks tied the game for the third and final time on Enes Kanter’s jumper with 3:57 left in the third quarter. Philadelphia took control from that point on. The 76ers ended the period by scoring 13 of the final 19 points to take an 86-79 lead into the fourth, and then tallied the first eight points of the final quarter. Amir Johnson made the first of two free throws with 8:34 left to put Philadelphia ahead 94-79. The Knicks scored just 13 points in the fourth period. Tim Hardaway Jr. missed all eight of his 3-point attempts and finished with nine points.
Clippers 114, Nets 101
If this is what the Los Angeles Clippers can do by keeping it simple, imagine the possibilities once they know their plays. Lou Williams scored 20 points, DeAndre Jordan had 16 points and 17 rebounds, and they got plenty of help from a balanced lineup in a victory over Brooklyn. Los Angeles put seven players in double figures and shot 56.5 percent from the field in its fourth win in five games, bouncing back nicely from a loss in Philadelphia. Austin Rivers, who had 17 points, said even he was surprised with how easy the Clippers made it look, since they’ve had to slash their playbook in the aftermath of trading Blake Griffin to Detroit. “I think a lot of people slept on us when we got all these players but I think we’re getting better and better,” he said. Danilo Gallinari had 16 points and reserve Montrezl Harrell collected 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting. The Clippers made 19 of their first 26 shots and won for the 12th time in 17 games. D’Angelo Russell and Joe Harris each scored 16 for the Nets, who dropped their sixth straight. “We couldn’t stop them. We never found a solution to stopping them,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They got downhill on us. We knew we had to keep them out of the paint and we never did. That was the story of the game. We couldn’t stop them.” The Clippers are still adjusting to a different team after acquiring new starters Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley from the Pistons, and coach Doc Rivers said the Clippers were being careful not to call too many plays, since the new players hadn’t had enough time to learn them. Whatever they did Monday worked just fine. “Like I told them after the game, there will be a night where only two guys get big numbers and we win, and there’ll be nights where five, six, seven, eight guys will score in double figures and we win,” Doc Rivers said. “Doesn’t matter, as long as we win.” The Clippers were 15 of 21 in the first quarter, building a 34-22 lead. They kept it up in the second, pushing the lead to 45-28 on consecutive layups by Harrell, who made all four shots in seven first-half minutes. Los Angeles led 66-51 at the break. They had 90 points after three quarters and when the Nets cut it to nine in the fourth, the Clippers scored six straight to take a comfortable lead again.
Pelicans 118, Pistons 103
Anthony Davis had 38 points and 10 rebounds to help New Orleans beat Detroit in another one of his strong performances against the Pistons. Davis is averaging 30.4 points per game against the Pistons, his highest total against an NBA team. He scored a career-high 59 against them nearly two years ago. That’s one reason the Pelicans have won 11 of the last 12 games against the Pistons. Detroit attempted to defend Davis with Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin, but they were no match for Davis inside, off the dribble or on the outside. The All-Star was 14 of 24 from the field, including 3 for 6 on 3-pointers.